Gurugram: Class 11 student suffers 12 fractures in brutal assault

Three days after the incident, however, no one has been arrested, apprehended or brought in for questioning

An argument inside the classroom of a private school in Gurugram’s Sushant Lok-1 took an ugly turn after a Class 11 student suffered 12 fractures — in his skull, jaws, and face — when he was beaten up outside the school gates, allegedly by his classmates, seniors, and their associates from a nearby neighbourhood.

Inspector Rishi Kant, station house officer (SHO), DLF police station, Sector 29, told HT, “At least 7-10 suspects can be seen assaulting the minor in the CCTV footage that has been retrieved.” (Representational image)

Police said that on Tuesday around 3pm, the 16-year-old victim walked out of school after his English exam, when a student who was walking with him took him towards a row of five cars parked near the school entrance.

Inspector Rishi Kant, station house officer (SHO), DLF police station, Sector 29, told HT, “At least 7-10 suspects can be seen assaulting the minor in the CCTV footage that has been retrieved. The exact reason behind this assault is unclear. We will question the boy once he recovers. ”

Three days after the incident, however, no one has been arrested, apprehended or brought in for questioning. “We received the complaint from the boy’s father on Tuesday night, and filed a first information report on Wednesday. On Thursday, we got the CCTV footage from the school as well as nearby shops. We have identified some of the suspects and are in the process of identifying the rest. The accused will be in police custody by Friday. Appropriate action will be taken if any of the suspects are minors,” Kant said.

After the police received a complaint from the boy’s father, an FIR was filed under sections147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on Wednesday.

According to the FIR, seen by HT, at least three suspects are the victim’s classmates, while seven are unknown to him.

“Apart from the three classmates, there are two other students who are the boy’s senior at school. The rest are not from the school,” police said. 

The boy is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Gurugram.

His father told HT, “Doctors treating my son told me that he has sustained seven fractures in the skull, and five in the facial bones and jaws. I was told that his cranial fluid leaked due to the fractures. Till Wednesday, he was in the ICU. It will take several months for my son to recover.” 

Police said that in the CCTV footage, the suspects can be seen attempting to push the boy inside a car, and once they fail to do so, he is continuously punched in the face and head.

“There were other parents, guards and teachers outside who intervened as soon as they saw what was happening. They rushed to rescue him, and even then the suspects managed to assault the boy again,” said a senior police officer.

Police said that the boy was rushed to a hospital nearby by a teacher, and school authorities informed his father, while a bystander called the police control room.

“The boy was referred to another hospital as his condiction was serious. He was taken to a private hospital in Sector 43 byhis father,” said a senior officer.

Meanwhile, the boy’s father alleged that this was not the first time his son had fallen victim to a violent act in school.

“In the past too, he returned home with bruises on his face but every time, I would ask him what happened, he would cover up by saying that he fell down while playing. My son is an introvert. He was being harassed by a group of students,” he said. 

HT tried to contact the principal of the school but did not receive a response. An administrative official of the school, said: “The school has no role to play in this incident as this happened outside the school premises.”